Low-resource or low equipment sharing resources


The resources on this page have been selected to support educators in finding CREST project ideas that require little equipment, can be run outside of a lab or at home, and use equipment that doesn’t require much sharing.

Find out more about the different CREST Award levels here: CREST Awards.

At primary level, our curated home learning packs don’t require many resources so they’re perfect to use either in the classroom or at home. For Primary teachers who have CLEAPSS access, we recommend this piece on doing Practical activities within your bubble.

At secondary level, each project brief has an overall challenge, ideas for getting started and a list of resources you might need. Read the health and safety section carefully before you begin. Young people should create a plan for their project and a risk assessment before they begin any practical activity. You can use the CLEAPSS student safety sheets as well as the rest of the CLEAPSS website to help them.

If you are looking for further advice on how to get started with CREST, visit our help centre and check out our FAQs.

If you are looking for ideas for running CREST at home, many of the below resources are suitable, and you can still access our Star and SuperStar Home Learning packs below. If you need further support, check out the CREST at home section of the Help Centre.


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SuperStar Home Learning

  • Text
  • Superstar
  • Rafts
  • Rocket
  • Shapes
  • Registered
  • Raft
  • Glue
  • Rockets
  • Association
  • Spinners
  • Yoghurt
This resource is published under an Attribution - non-commercial - no derivatives 4.0 International creative commons licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

A Sticky Problem

A Sticky Problem Organiser’s Card About the activity This activity is designed to get children thinking about the different properties of glue. The children have been asked to read a letter printed in the Weekly Woodworker magazine from Ineda Bond. She’s not sure which glue is the most suitable to build a cart and needs some help. Through this activity you will support your group to: • Make three different glue recipes • Conduct different tests on all their glue mixtures to compare different properties • Write a letter to tell Weekly Woodworker magazine about their results Kit list Glue ingredients: • Flour • Vinegar • Skimmed milk (or non-fat milk powder with hot tap water) • Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda, NOT baking powder) • Cornflour For testing: • Glue spreaders • Small blocks of wood, card or cork, wooden lolly sticks • Force meters (optional) • Funnel • Beaker • Paper towels • Bowls or pots to make the glues in • Samples of cloth, large bowl of warm soapy water, timer • Labels, or pens to label the different glues

What to do 1. Introduce the activity using the letter from Ineda Bond. Ask them about the different properties of glue. 2. Give out activity cards and equipment to the children. 3. Explain that they will be using the equipment provided to make three different glue mixtures and test them. 4. Encourage children to discuss their ideas and how to carry out their investigations. Prompt questions: • What makes a ‘good’ glue? • What properties will they test and how will they test them? • How will they record their results? • How will they make sure their test is fair? 5. Support children to conduct their tests and make their own records of their results. They could also take photographs or make drawings. 6. Ask the children to present their findings to the rest of the group, they can be as creative in their presentation as they want, the activity card suggests they could write a reply to Weekly Woodworker magazine. Could also take photographs or make drawings. Things to think about You should be able to store the glue in plastic containers in the fridge for a short time. Keep the containers sealed. If the paste dries up, just put the sealed container in a bowl of warm water. The only way to measure glue performance accurately is through laboratory testing. Because of this, the children’s tests will not be perfect, but it is important that they are encouraged to try to make fair comparisons between glues. Keywords • Glue • Adhesive • Bonds • Properties Watch out! These glues can be messy but are perfectly safe. Pay extra attention where hot water is used. Children need to wash their hands and rinse equipment when finished. They may need plastic aprons and gloves. British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236

Challenges for ages 5-11


These challenges take about an hour each. Once you have completed eight of them you can get a CREST SuperStar Award. Start by downloading the Passport. Children can use this to record each activity they complete.

Our curated packs for home learning require very little equipment or resources, so are ideal now that you are back in the classroom. They also add flexibility as students can finish their Star or SuperStar Award at home, if needed.

Each challenge has an organiser card and an activity card. All the instructions to set up the activity are in the organiser card. Read the 'watch out' section carefully before you begin. Children can use the activity card or you can read it through together.

Find out more about Star and SuperStar levels here.


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Projects for ages 11-18


Each of these projects take between ten and thirty hours to complete. The project briefs have an overall challenge, ideas for getting started and a list of resources students might need. Before they begin, students should read the health and safety section carefully. Once students have completed their projects, they can get a CREST Discovery, Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. The amount of time spent on the project and how well they met the CREST criteria determines the level students will be awarded.

Start by downloading the relevant Workbook or Profile Form below. Young people can use these to help them complete their project and record their progress.

Young people should create a plan for their project and a risk assessment before they begin any practical activity, which should be checked by a teacher. You can use the CLEAPSS student safety sheets as well as the rest of the CLEAPSS website to help them.

For Bronze projects, once a student has completed their project, you can sign up to assess it and order their personalised certificate here. Bronze assessment is incredibly easy and can also be adapted for at-home learning if needed due to unexpected lockdowns, meaning parents can always assess when teachers cannot. Check out how to assess a Bronze project here

For Silver and Gold projects student work will need to be submitted online and will be assessed by a CREST assessor. Learn more about assessment for Silver Awards here

Find out more about Bronze level here.

Find out more about Silver level here.

Find out more about Gold level here.


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